Furnitures and Excuses
by Sealson
Summary: Kakashi is known to be late on all occasions. His excuses are always lame...will he finally come up with a more solid one?
1. Prologue

**_It has been a while since I wrote something, I still haven't finished one of my random spews of imaginations partly because of my lack of ideas...but this is my 'post hiatus' piece, please enjoy and send me a review!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto._**

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Prologue

Some years ago in our protagonist's head…

"Ne Kakashi-sensei, I'm hungry. Let's go eat some ramen!" the blonde bellowed out and raced ahead of him towards the ramen place.

"_Hn. Dobe." the less enthusiastic but still hungry young genin muttered, blood has to be shed before he will give away some of his ego and admit that he's hungry too._

_The tall jounin was the least enthusiastic at all…another bill that he must avoid. How many missions does he have to do before he can feed Naruto again? To tell the truth, none. He always manages to escape before the bill is presented or even mentioned. Trailing behind him, the third genin giggled. He sensed her stopping in her tracks and swung around to check if everything's all right whilst keeping his nose stuck in his notorious orange novels._

"_Ne, Kakashi-sensei. Why do you always go with them to the ramen place if you don't plan to eat or pay there?" her voice was full of curiosity and her eyes gleamed with just as much curiosity._

"_Mm, Sakura. You're not joining them?" It was strange to see her not dash after the two boys, especially when one is the boy that she has been literally chasing for the past however many years. This put Kakashi on red alert for being as nice as possible without having to miss the plot of his orange novel._

"_Well…" she trailed off, as if lost for the words for whatever she was going to say, uncertain, unsure, insecure…perhaps a bit upset…_

_He swiftly tucked his orange book into his pouch and squatted in front of Sakura with his only visible eye curved up as if smiling. "Whatever is wrong, you can always talk to me."_

"_Really, sensei, I'm fine…don't worry about me, Naruto must be on his sixth bowl by now, if you don't go now, he would have stuffed himself up like a doll…" Much as Kakashi would like to believe in what she just said, one look at her glassy eyes sitting in their very red frames told a different story. He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder like a friend._

"_What he said back then, he didn't mean it at all. You are strong Sakura, never think otherwise…and don't forget, you can't afford to lose to Ino." His eye crinkled and winked. He felt Sakura stare at him like a dear caught in headlights, lost for words and confused. How did he know, she pondered._

"_When you're a jounin, you will know why Sakura." Again, his eye curved up in its usual happy way. Question ansered…my turn! "Say, Sakura, if we keep sitting here, we'll starve to death. If you want to be stronger, you should not skip meals." He was about to pull out his 'healthy eating chart' that he got the other day from his pack of cereal when he noticed that Sakura pulled out two lunch boxes beside her._

"_Eat three meals a day, don't over indulge, don't over eat, don't exercise right after eating, and last but not least don't ever skip a meal." She quoted as if she knew what he was about to say when he pulled out his chart. 'I guess it's not only me who eats that cereal, but what…it really is tasty', Kakashi thought, swiftly eating the food in front of him after mumbling his thanks._

"_Haha, Kakashi-sensei, did you miss the last line from that chart? It said, don't eat so fast!" She was smiling again as if all her aches and pains are gone…_


	2. Chapter 1

**_The first chapter. Same disclaimers as before. Enjoy!_**

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Chapter 1

He wiped the sweat forming on his forehead. Moving furniture every now and then really is a pain. He could never find them in the most perfect orientation. Something is always missing and when he 'acquires' a new piece of furniture, he needs to move everything around making sure that the new piece of furniture will fit into the surroundings. He shuffled a small set of drawer away from the wall and to its new area. A small piece of paper fell off the back as he moved it. He wiped more sweat off his forehead and picked it up. A chuckle escaped his masked lips. Sakura, never fails to miss a small line in whatever text she reads.

It felt like such a long time ago since he last saw her dressed in a pure white gown, her pastel coloured hair teasing the white material as it fans out on the cloth, challenging the whiteness. Her face showed neither happiness nor sorrow, all he saw was a blank face trying to smile like Sai. It was exactly three months after Sasuke walked through the gates of Konoha again. Everyone greeted him as if he just came back from a long holiday. Everyone, except the young kunoichi with pink hair. No one ever understood what happened afterwards, as if it was some sort of blur in the memory. Nonetheless, it was happy days in Konoha when one of the wealthiest and not to mention most handsome young man announce who will be his wife.

What sounded very strange to Kakashi was that he was fairly certain, no scrap that, very certain, that the young kunoichi came crying and telling him during those two months that she hates Sasuke with every cell in her and that she would never marry him even if he asked her. _'Maybe people change their minds faster than me'_ that was Kakashi's only explanation that kept worries at bay.

Heavy knocking on his door woke Kakashi from his midday thoughts. To be quite honest, he was quite sucked into them, how they used to be a team and together like a family even if one of them wasn't so keen on playing part in the family. He reached to open his door to find the person that has been swimming in his thoughts just now to be standing in front of his door. Those same glassy eyes in their red frames like all those years ago…reappearing again as if it was a cunning déjà vu.

Sakura has become an accomplished medic after training under the Fifth who is now busy taking Naruto under her wing to shape him into the next Hokage, although some say that training was so intense that Naruto was often found passed out on the Fourth's face carving on the cliffs or the Hokage's office. Her reputation of inhuman strength that is even scarier than the Fifth's and her incredible manipulation of chakra as a medic rippled like ripples on the surface of a large pond. Everyone in the village have respect for this kunoichi and no one dares to challenge her strength. Some say that earthquakes of 4.7 on the Richter scale was recorded in the Hidden Village of Mist, one of the further villages away from Konoha, from a single knock of Sakura's fist in Konoha. Recalling that fact made Kakashi slightly uneasy, especially when she suddenly shows up at his doorstep. Nonetheless he showed her in and offered her some tea.

"Yo!" He greeted her like all those years ago.

"You're late." She chanted out unenthusiastically as if she was a hollow person, emotionless. Something was definitely not right. Despite her scary abilities, Sakura is always full of emotions.

"Well, you see this black cat…now tell me what's wrong." He cut the chase, guessing that it was pointless to cling onto the phrases of the past. He is no longer her sensei. She is a jounin now, like he is.

"Kakashi-sensei, am I weak?" She too stopped beating around the bush. Kakashi's visible eye widened.

"What makes you think that? Did someone beat you in making a bigger crater?"

"No…it's just that…"

"The took down more trees than you in a single punch?"

"No! Sensei…I…Sasuke…he…"

_Oh so Sasuke's in this too? I wonder what it is. Maybe he sent her after my Icha Icha collection…no way!_ He glanced his collection in the corner in an unnoticeable sideward glance only to be brought back down to Earth by the sobs next to him and the sudden hug from Sakura along with a sudden splash of tears on his shirt. He wrapped his arm around her comforting her like anyone else would've done.

Seconds went by followed by minutes and hours. She stopped now and Kakashi broke the ice. "What did Sasuke do?" His care free, lazy voice had such soothing effects on his former student that she stopped showering him in her tears.

"Would you believe me if I told you that I was trapped in his genjutsu for the past three months?"

This was quite out of the world, but he said he believed her.

"He came up to me after he came back to Konoha and made me stare at his Sharingan. He showed me what will happen if I will not follow his instructions." She broke in a small sob.

"Oh please, don't tell him I told you. I trust you with all my life. I'm so afraid. Please, save me. He wants me to do things I don't want to do." She spoke barely above a wisper.

"What does he want you to do?" He whispered back calmly, keeping his cool whilst pondering what Sasuke is up to putting Sakura through this when she apparently is his wife.

"He…he…he wants me to give birth to his children…not just one…but ten. He wants ten within the next five years, meaning five pairs of twins. He said that I was a medic and I can do that…"

"That's a bit…intense…"

"That's not it sensei. I came to you not only because I trust you. It is because I have to warn you. He wants to be the only man with the Sharingan family. He doesn't want a pedigree carrying his family trait…He…he…wants me to…" She couldn't say those last words, but he understood her. Sasuke had indeed changed. Sakura is no longer safe in the Uchiha residence.

"I understand Sakura." He quickly pulled out a copy of Icha Icha as if nothing had just happened. Sakura peered over his shoulder to see for the first time of her life what text those orange paperbacks contained. It was not long until Kakashi put away his Icha Icha and Sakura groaned and mumbled a "Hey! I wasn't finished yet!".

"I didn't see you there Sasuke. Want some tea? I'm afraid your old sensei cannot take you to the ramen place." This shook Sakura slightly. He could feel her straighten up more and cast her gaze down onto her own lap.

"No, I've come to take Sakura home." Sasuke spat angrily. His Sharingan spun around and when he called Sakura who instinctively looked up, Sakura just drifted towards him and followed him like a ghost. Before she left, Kakashi heard her whisper "Help me…"

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**_So this is the first official chapter of the story. Like it? Need some tweaks in my spelling? Gimme a tell on reviews!_**


	3. Chapter 2

**_Second chapter, yadiyadiya...disclaimers...Remember to R&R! :D_**

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Chapter 2

The silver haired jounin leapt over rooftops and followed the couple. He just witnessed how Sasuke managed to control Sakura with just a twirl of his Sharingan. Sakura was definitely not lying. He landed softly on the rooftop in the Uchicha residences. He could hear Sakura screaming something undecipherable and Sasuke shouting angrily.

"What did you say to him. Look at me Sakura."

"I told him I wanted to borrow something…"

"What did you say to him, Sakura. Don't lie or I will make you suffer."

"I just wanted to…borrow…a…book…from sensei…"

"Look at you Sakura. You are so foolish. You still call that old man your sensei? If you want a book, I will buy one for you. You don't need to venture out of here for it."

_So that's what he's been doing, keeping Sakura imprisoned_, Kakashi sat on the rooftop with his orange book at hand, listening into the conversation below him.

"He's not old! He's got silver hair, that's all!" Kakashi was glad that at least someone sees through and appreciates his hair-do.

"Don't protect him. You can't protect him for this long. I'm going to get some sleep, you better not wander off on your own. I don't want my wife to be contaminated with some pedigree who thinks they have pure blood."

"Sasuke, what if I want to venture out. This isn't what you promised when you came to me all those months ago."

"Sakura, are you that dumb? I lied to you obviously. Even Karin is smart enough to obey me and stay home. Weak."

Kakashi only just managed to understand what he just heard before he had the time to leap to another roof before he was shaken off he resting spot. _I was just getting comfortable there…_

He heard a loud slap and a loud crash as if someone just jumped right through a wall. Wait, that just happened. As he watched the pink haired jounin run into the night with Sasuke shouting "Weak" behind her. Silently, he followed her to a small opening in the forest where they used to train. He spotted her sitting in the middle of the opening and quietly sat down beside her.

She nearly jumped when she felt someone sit beside her. Had her not first glanced at the person, she would've sent him or her flying straight to Suna. She just sat there, immobilised. Kakashi watched her as she weep.

"You know you can just divorce him."

"It's not that simple. He threatened me. He threatened me with my family. It's not like the Sasuke I know all those years ago. It is as if someone is in his own skin."

"Sakura, come with me." He took her by the hand and led her to the Hokage's office.

"Come in." Tsunade was tired from her day's work. There wasn't much on her mind now but sake. She was shocked to see Kakashi come in with Sakura, holding hands. Kakashi quickly took back his hand and kept it to himself. He explained the situation to Tsunade.

"I see." Tsunade only just managed to cough up those two words after listening to this intense amount of information. No one is going to boss around her apprentice like that, not even that Uchiha boy. She noticed just how fragile her apprentice was, standing beside her former sensei, as if she's lost all hope in the world. "Kakashi, can you let Sakura stay at yours for the time being? I can't think of who else she can live with for now."

Before Sakura can object, Kakashi agreed. She can take care of herself perfectly. She is after all a medic. On the other hand, Sasuke would probably be extra mean to her now after what she did. She bashed a rather big hole in his nice wall, slapped him pretty hard on his pretty face. She strolled alongside Kakashi in the quiet streets of Konoha. The peaceful warm night wind gently ruffled her hair, teasing its soft and silkiness. _Why does Kakashi always make me feel better?_ She slowed to ponder, feeling as if time was dripping by slowly like it never wants to leave.

He welcomed her to his apartment and offered her tea. He noticed how nervous she was as her eyes darted around the apartment, expecting someone to come out any moment and take her away. He set down two cups of tea on the tea table and beckoned her over to the sofa. She followed his beckoning and sat beside him, face with a blank expression. Sakura felt a strong pair of arms pulling her head into a rather muscular shoulder where she sobbed the night away. She welcomed the warmth and a soft scent of…Kakashi? Having known him for so many years, she still cannot find a word to describe that unique scent of Kakashi. Surely she can recognise it, but she can't describe it in one word. It's a sort of smell that is clean crisp and simple; there isn't much to it, but it's such a nice scent that one can just breathe in and feel a whole lot better than before. _I guess Kakashi isn't just a copy-nin after all…_she thought as she drifted off to a slight doze.

Kakashi watched the young medic fall asleep in his arms. He would be such a dead man if the angry Uchiha finds him in this position, but it felt too peaceful to move her. So he spent the night on the sofa with her, reading his orange book until he was too tired to read and just let it sit on his face while he slept the night away.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

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He woke with the sound of eggs sizzling in a pan and the smell of breakfast. He swiftly straightened up and went after the smell in his small kitchen, only to find Sakura tossing eggs on his frying pan and pancakes steaming on plate, butter and syrup ready on the side to drown them with extra flavours.

"Good morning, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura chirped lightly. That smile on her face was definitely not a Sai smile.

"Oh, good morning Sakura." It would be very deadly if a certain Uchiha ventures round to say hi this morning, a thought that injected Kakashi with uneasiness. Surely he did say that the new generation will surpass the last, but when he put his mind to it, that also applied to the Uchiha who is out for his blood.

"Eat up, the Hokage wants to see us afterwards." Sakura was back to her empty voice again. "I won't watch you eat if you want to hide your face." She added after a short pause.

_Ah, the good old days…_Kakashi thought as he remembered the time when team 7 went to their limits in hope to see his face, completely unaware that he was wary of their intentions from the very beginning. He gobbled down the pancakes and wolfed down the eggs as if he was in a real hurry.

"What's this?" The kunoichi said as she reached out to the little piece of paper stuck to his fridge. "Oh, so you like to eat cereal too eh Kakashi-sensei?" A small giggle escaped her lips, reminding him of her younger self.

"Well, you see, I was helping an old lady and she gave me this."

"Liar!"

Breakfast went for at least half an hour of nostalgic quotes and phrases. Kakashi watched as Sarkura's emotions returned to her and it made him feel much more at ease talking to her. Although he has not taken much responsibility in training her and dare not take credit for her current reputation, he finds it hard to say that the naïve young genin he once met is now the 'feared' jonin in front of him now.

It wasn't long before time knocked on their doorstep and forced them to move onto their next task of the day – meeting with the Hokage. Sakura didn't feel easy walking beside the man who has not changed a bit through time, still having his nose stuck in those orange novels. It did tempt Sakura to have a small read, but it is just not right for her to read that in public, not to mention she needs to keep an eye out of a certain raven haired man. Thankfully today is one of those days when he spends the morning in trying to put a start to his plans.

"Come in." Tsunade said before the pink haired jonin had a chance to even knock on her door, as expected from her great shisho.

"You asked to see us?" Kakashi said as he tucked his novel back into his pouch.

"I have a mission for you two. It is an S ranked mission to check on Orochimaru's lair. I have some suspicions. I've sent Jiraiya to scout in that area too. He sent back these reports and a book for you Kakashi." She said the last sentence with a sigh. Jiraiya was the renowned author of the 'best selling' series known as the Make Out Series. Kakashi, as predicted swooned over the little orange book like a child swooning over candy, just that the 'candy' was orange and rectangular.

On their way back to Kakashi's apartment, Sakura started reading the reports, while Kakashi continued reading his orange book. It hit Sakura with a pang of curiosity just why are those books so interesting.

"Ne, Kakashi-sensei…I was wondering…what is in those books of yours that make you read it all the time?"

"Oh, you want to know what's in them? Here, you can read it too!" Somehow, Kakashi is sometimes rather thick on matters of reading porn in public.

"I'm not going to read porn in public!" She retorted, "I'll read it later."

"Mmm, suit yourself…So Junko said 'I think I'm about to loose sight of you'…" He trailed off as he lost himself in his book again.

"My my, how fitting." A third voice joined the conversation behind the two.

"Sasuke. Stop stalking me." Sakura quickly slapped the words back at him, as expected from a quick-witted girl like her.

"Oh, I was just stopping by your parents to say hi. Would you like to come as well? They would love to know how good a wife you have been." He was threatening her.

Anger shot flared up in her eyes, while Kakashi looked indifferent with his nose still stuck in his book.

"Hi, Sasuke. Up for ramen as usual? I'm afraid I can't pay today. A black cat crossed my path."

"Cut the crap, Kakashi." He whispered from behind Kakashi.

_He's fast_, the silver haired jonin noted.

"Ahh, Sasuke-teme! I haven't seen you for a long time! Let's go eat ramen, my treat! I'm famished!" Naruto bluntly joined the conversation, unaware of the tension in the crowd. It was then when Sakura blurred out of her spot and smacked Sasuke's head from behind.

"Uh, what's happening? Sakura-chan, what's that for? I thought he's your husband!"

"So it seems." She replied in a whisper just barely audible and then vanished with a puff of smoke.

"I have no idea what's happening, but oh well." Kakashi was about to form the seal for his usual disappearance when a strong hand grabbed his wrist.

"Don't play stupid."

"Ah, Sasuke. You see, I have a mission to go to. Hokage's orders." He added the last statement slightly angrily as he tugged his wrist back to perform his seal, leaving Sasuke and Naruto with a puff of smoke.

Sasuke turned and walked away as Naruto gaped at the spot like a fish out of water.

When Kakashi got back to his apartment, Sakura had already finished reading all the reports and was packing a small backpack for the mission. She was slightly shaken by the situation just now, but who can blame her. _Not me_, Kakashi thought as he went to his bookshelf to grab an orange book, and slipped it into her backpack when she was out of the room. He then proceeds to packing his own things.

It wasn't before he returned to his own living room to find Sakura intently reading the little orange book he just slipped into her bag. _I guess I should've hid it better, oh well._ He joined her in the reading, sitting next to her on his two-seater sofa. He also noticed just how absorbed she was in the little orange book…Tsunade better not find out or this may be the last time he lay his hands on one of these.

"How can you read this?" She asked after a while.

"You don't like it?"

"No way." The kunoichi said in horror.

"You looked so absorbed in it just now."

"That wasn't 'absorbed', that was disbelief!" she exclaimed. _Yep, she's in denial._ Then she continued reading, claiming that there wasn't anything else to read since she finished reading through Jiraiya's report, focused mainly on where the hideout is and how many hot springs there were around the area with beautiful women in and…basically women. With a sigh, she turned another page in the little book.

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	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

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Early next morning, the duo set off on their mission, after having breakfast of course. Kakashi cannot help but think how wonderful it is to have someone make him breakfast every morning. Moreover, that person is Sakura, who he recently converted into an orange book reader. _She likes those books. I can feel it._

They stopped at noon for lunch at a small stream nearby. It brought back some nostalgic moments, but Sakura shook them away quickly. She could not bring herself to think of the days when the whole team 7 was together like a family. It hurts too much to think that it all ended when Sasuke decided that revenge was more important than any part of this family.

"Hm, baka." She muttered as she continued to shake off those memories, tossing them away like Sasuke have once done to them.

The older jonin watched the younger one from the corner of his eye whilst reading lines of beautiful literature. It was a nice break for lunch beside a small stream where they once trained during a small mission years ago. Sakura had the best chakra control of the three of them leaving her the only one out of three to have dry feet at all times. He was proud of her.

"Kakashi-sensei, let's go." She said as she approached his resting spot.

"Sakura, you don't have to call me sensei anymore, I'm not your sensei." Kakashi insisted. It irks him that she still looks up to him even though he was never there to train her properly in her genin days.

"Kakashi-sempai, let's go." She repeated with a different suffix, only to give him even more creeps as a shiver crept from his feet to the very top of his head.

"You can call me sensei, but you can't call me sempai. You make me feel old Sakura."

"You're not old! You're young and energetic and…" She trailed off with his other qualities.

"And…?" He wanted to know just what she thought of him.

"Nevermind. Let's just go." _Disappointment!_

She leapt off to the trees followed by her companion. They were getting near Orochimaru's hideout. It was said that Sasuke walked out of the place without a single scratch, claiming that the snake sanin has been killed.

"According to Jiraiya's report, there has been a lot of activity in the hideout since Sasuke returned to Konoha. Our mission is to find out what is happening in there and take necessary actions." Sakura quickly briefed the man before her before bravely stepping into the dark tunnel.

She felt her surroundings light up and turned around abruptly, only to bump into Kakashi holding a match in his hand. His single visible eye crinkled up as he smiled beneath his mask.

"There isn't much to be afraid of in here, I'll always be behind you." He reassured her, before quickly putting out his match as scurrying sounds were heard from what seems to be straight ahead.

The two crept along the long dark tunnel and finally found themselves in a candlelit corridor, lined with door after door. Sakura noticed that one door was slightly ajar and could not suppress the curiosity that bubbled in her as she approached it to see what was inside it. As her eyes crept round the corner to see what was in the room, she felt a strong hand covering her mouth and an arm snaking around her waist, pulling her away from the door. She didn't even have the time to gasp, but she wasn't afraid, she knew who the scent of such a pair of arms belonged to.

"What is it?" She whispered as she freed herself from him.

"Kabuto." The man with the book whispered back, whilst summoning his trusty pug. "Pakkun, I need you to sniff out some information for us."

"Don't worry Kakashi, I'm on it." The little dog replied as he disappeared out of sight.

It was some time after the pug left the two jonin that a conversation sparked near the hiding place.

"Say, I hear that the Uchiha kid killed Orochimaru-sama."

"No way he can be that strong. He only stopped the process half way through. The other half of Orochimaru-sama is pretty alive. Kabuto is working on getting him into Sasuke fully."

On hearing that, Sakura's eyes widened. The Sasuke that bullied her for the past months was indeed not the Sasuke she knew. She looked at the jonin behind her and he simply nodded at her. Scurrying sounds could be heard near their hideout. Pakkun suddenly appeared between the two jonin.

"Did I interrupt?" He asked innocently as if he interrupted a staring contest.

"No." His owner stated simply. "What did you find?"

"Your suspicions were correct. Orochimaru lives, but is very weak. It will be easy to assassinate him when Kabuto leaves the room for his hourly break. As for Sasuke as a container, there is no doubt that that is true. Here is the scroll with some information on it." He said as he handed over a small scroll to Sakura, who read it immediately and rolled it back up afterwards.

"It's an easy seal. I just need something that belongs to him before Orochimaru entered his body…and lots of chakra." She added the last part uncertainly. Surely her chakra levels have improve dramatically over the past years, but is it enough? Is her stamina able to keep up with it?

She was brought out of her thoughts when Kakashi placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. It felt nice. _Kakashi…_she thought. What other qualities was she going to say back then? _Handsome? Brave? A man like no other?_

"Time to do some assassination." He said in a low voice as Pakkun disappeared in a small puff of smoke.

Masking their chakra and creeping down the corridor, the two jonin reached the door described by Pakkun. They nodded at each other. Kakashi transformed himself into Kabuto and Sakura transformed herself into one of the wandering people who were wandering around the corridor before they left their hiding place. They watched the weak Orochimaru sleeping in a bed full of tubes of rainbow coloured liquid. Quickly, Sakura used a medical jutsu to stop all the processes in the sanin's body. After silencing all machines, the two quickly left the room. They hurried out of the hideout as they attached explosive tags around the perimeter.

A small 'wow' escaped Sakura's lips as a large puff of gray smoke rose up in the sky. She could not believe that half of Orochimaru has been defeated along with all his evil subordinates. She could not wait to return to Konoha and feel more at ease.

When the two arrived back in Konoha, they were quickly escorted to the Hokage tower to report.

"Come in." Again, she beat them to knocking.

"Sakura, I have some grave news. Your parents…"

"I understand." She simply replied as if she expected it to happen. "We have found Orochimaru's hideout and have successfully assassinated him along with his subordinates."

"However, we have to exterminate the other half of Orochimaru inside Sasuke." Kakashi continued.

"I understand, I will call him to the hospital and have ANBU on guard at his ward. You two go and refresh yourselves and come to _the_ ward tomorrow."

"Hai." The two replied and vanished in a puff of smoke. Tsunade could've sworn that she saw Sakura pulling out a small orange book before she disappear, but it could have been red. She dismissed the thought immediately.

**You know you want to review! :D**

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	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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"What can we find that belonged to him before…that?" the strawberry blonde girl pondered out loud in the living room of a small apartment. She knows better than anyone else that she should be sleeping and resting after a mildly tiring mission, but she could not bring herself to rest whilst being bombarded by thoughts. She remembered the headband that Sasuke left behind after his big fight with Naruto, but it's a long lost artifect after Sasuke returned. A small flashback played in her mind…

"_If you leave now…I'll…I'll…I'll scream!"_

"_Sakura…thank you."_

…

…

…

"_Sasuke, why are you throwing out all these things?"_

"_Because it's a waste of space, the past."_

"Sakura, shouldn't you be sleeping?" Came a sleepy voice that rescued her from the dark abyss she was tumbling through in the flashback.

"I…I…I have to go somewhere…"

"I guess I'll come with you then…" He trailed off with a small yawn. The moonlight sketched out his jaw line, the straightness of his nose and his ever-present mask on top of all that. His hair slightly messier than usual, but it caught the moonlight and reflected it back like a mirror. _A handsome mirror,_ Sakura's mind corrected. "Now tell me, where is this somewhere?" The small area of handsome features played an innocent and confused face as he scratched the side of his head with his forefinger.

"Somewhere to think…Sensei, I can't think of where I can find something that belonged to him. The more I think about it the more desperate I become."

"Well…I'm sure by morning you'll figure it out…" He trailed of again, this time wandering back towards his bedroom and onto his bed, taking off his mask at the same time. The moonlight faded behind his trail, leaving her alone in the darkness once again, slumped on the sofa soon fast asleep.

The next morning started with a rather rushed breakfast with eggs and toast, Sakura style. By now, Kakashi has gotten used to having Sakura around his house. Whether it is the meals that she whole heartedly cooked for him or the fact that she has made his home feel complete, he couldn't quite bring himself to admit that he's growing attached to the young kunoichi. _Attractive young kunoichi that is…_

"Why do you want me in the hospital today? Haven't I told you that I'm fine and had my medical check up a few days ago with Sakura?"

"Err…Sakura mentioned to me that…she was worried about that wandering spleen of yours." Tsunade lied. _Where could those two be? They should be here soon. I hope Kakashi isn't rubbing off that much on her to make her late for everything!_

Just then, as if on cue, two jonin appeared…bickering.

"See, if you could have just taken the straight path, we would've been 50% faster!"

"But there was a black cat!"

"Liar!" Everyone sighed…obviously Kakashi was rubbing off on Sakura.

"You two." Tsunade sternly stood between them and pointed at the ward. Silently, the two jonin walked into the room to be greeted by a very angry pair of sharingan eyes from the bed. Sakura turned away and unrolled the little scroll and laid some things onto the table, slipping on her black gloves. Kakashi made himself comfortable on a chair nearby and began flipping through the glorious pages of literature, whilst his eye occasionally wandered towards the kunoichi who is currently flexing her fingers.

"What are you looking at." Sasuke spat, jealousy lingered in his voice. "If you lay another sight or thought on my wife, I'll kill you."

"But Sasuke, she's not your wife you see…" He innocently replied in an easy mannered voice. "Why do you think we were late?" He noticed how Sasuke's eyes widened slightly, and his sharingan swirled a bit. He could be at home reading, but he couldn't leave Sakura in a room with Sasuke much as he'd like to convince himself that Sakura is capable of taking care of herself.

"Stop picking on sensei. We have a life to save here, Sasuke." Sakura moved the table nearer to the bed. Needles scattered across it, bandages, scalpels…and all sorts of equipment. She noticed how Sasuke tensed slightly when his saw all those equipment on the table.

"Oh, those are there…just in case…" her face darkened with a mildy scary aura, "…you misbehave." She brought out a torch from beneath showing a scary face. The Uchiha resisted every temptation to flinch, but his minute flinch did not go unescaped, earning a small giggle from Sakura, as she tied him down and covered his eyes.

"I shall begin." She said, breaking the tense silence in the room.

She took the scalpel and made a small cut on her finger. She didn't stop the bleeding, but allowing it to drip slowly onto his body. Small sobs could be heard as tear and blood mixed together on his chest. Sasuke was completely unaware of what was happening, but the small voice at the back of his head was shouting at him _'No! Stop her crying! Stop her bleeding! Hey, let me out! Hey, are you listening to me? Hey, get back here!'_ He didn't know who it was, but he kept on ignoring it.

She performed the seals written on the scroll and placed her hands on his chest, above where his heart nestled, green chakra clouded her hands. It will be hours before she can safely say that she's done._ Will my chakra be able to…_

"Kakashi-sensei, how are you feeling today?" She shouted over her shoulder, still focused on her patient.

"Mmm, why do you ask all of a sudden? Are you up to something?" He replied with suspicion. _That's the worst pick-up line ever, but I could say yes! Oh shut up. Should I stop by Yamanaka for some – SHUT UP!_

"Kakashi-sensei, are you even listening? I can't hold out like this for more than three quarters of an hour, it's quite intensive this…can I tap into some of your chakra later on?"

"Sure…" Kakashi's head suddenly hung down with a sigh. _Disappointment!_

"Thanks…" She was already halfway there.

She continued without a word. The room was silent again, but Sasuke occasionally moaned. His mind was racing, battling with something foreign.

_"Kill her."_

"_Why?"_

"_Kill her."_

"_No!"_

"_You have killed so many already, what does one kunoichi make a difference?"_

"_No, I have not killed anyone except for Itachi!"_

"_Mmm…really, Sasuke-kun?" The wicked voice in his mind played pictures of countless shinobi of different ranks falling before him with a splash of blood and a shocked face. "Just face it, you can't be strong without me in you, Sasuke-kun."_

"_Whoever you are, get lost!"_

"_I can't, you and I are one now." The voice trailed off with an evil laugh._

"_You can't have, I killed you! I killed you! I killed you!"_

"_You did, but that's only half of me. Now stop her before she rids this half of me or you'll be weak, like her." The voice faded leaving him in the dark. He welcomed it._

Half an hour passed and Sakura was starting to feel the strain of the jutsu. _I'm nearly there_, she encouraged herself. It was pointless, the cloud of green chakra around her hands was slowly fading as her chakra levels were falling towards empty. She turned her head slightly to look at where Kakashi was sitting only to find his seat empty. _Maybe he got bored._

Just when she was giving up the hope of being close to finishing the jutsu, a pair of hands landed on top her hers. The green glow grew to full strength again. She gasped as she felt the warmth of the hands above hers.

"You owe me dinner." He simply stated, amusement in his voice.

"You're late."

"Well, I was lost on the path of life."

"Liar." She could feel just how close they were standing, his chest resting on her back, his chin nestled on her shoulder, his soft silver hair dipping into her pale pastel hair…_Stop it!_ their minds chanted in unison.

Nearly half an hour later, Sakura's hands formed another seal and stamped her hands onto Sasuke's bare chest again, a light blue chakra surrounding her hands while Kakashi's hands rested on top again. Small black curse patterns began wandering from every part of Sasuke's body and towards the blue chakra. It was another hour before all the curse patterns have been removed from the pale Uchiha body. The blue chakra now turned into a red chakra, encasing a small blob of black that was once curse patterns residing within a body. She turned around and captured the small blob onto a scroll and sealed it in. Once that was done, she place her forefinger onto his chest and passed on whatever remaining chakra she had to his heart.

Sasuke woke with a start. A soft white cloth fell off his face revealing an image of Kakashi carrying the pastel haired girl awkwardly. He then remembered what happened. Three months of coldness and anger. His gaze wandered to Kakashi, who immediately back off to his seat.

"It's not as it seems…you should be fine now." He muttered as he rested his ex-student in his arms as he sat down to read again, while Sasuke tried to undo whatever was tying him down.

"What happened."

"She cured you. You had half of Orochimaru in you, she used all her chakra in exterminating the him in you. See for yourself." He did not even lift his head from his book, at the same time, injecting some of his chakra into Sakura, in hope that she'll wake up in time for the dinner she promised.

Sasuke turned his head and saw the scroll on the table. The seal on it resembled the one that once resided on his shoulder. He felt his shoulder and found out from a mirror nearby that it was gone. He felt free, and wandered out of the room only to be greeted by Tsunade and Naruto. Meanwhile, behind him, tucked in a corner, he could hear Kakashi reading nothing but his little orange book…outloud to a sleeping Sakura. What have he missed for the past few months? Why is he feeling so…empty?

* * *

No one has reviewed yet...I promise I won't be angry if you put in some constructive criticism!


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

* * *

The raven-haired boy walked towards his home and his jaw dropped to find a hole in his wall and a barely dressed Karin in his bed. He was just about to turn around to look for Sakura or Kakashi to ask them if they know anything about the Karin in his bed and the rather large hole in his wall resembling the shape of an angry Sakura. That's it, why not ask Sakura, she is kind and nice most of the time anyway, the Uchiha decided as he walked away from the slightly disappointed woman on his bed, which immediately jumped out and latched herself onto him.

"Eugh, Karin, what are you doing?" His left eye twitched as he tried to iron out his words.

"Mou, you left me in here waiting for you for ages, where have you been to Sasuke-kun?" She leaned in to kiss him and just a few millimeters away, Sasuke managed to stick his hand between the 'respectable' gap between them. Karin was a bit too late in noticing and crashed her lips onto a rather sweaty palm. Just then a loud knock could be heard throughout the Uchiha compound.

"Sasuke-teme, Sasuke-TEME!!! Open up!!!" There's no need to say who it is - the village's number one loud-mouthed ninja.

Sasuke made a mental note to treat Naruto to ten bowls of ramen later.

"Yes, dobe?" Despite all the strange events, Sasuke still could muster all his dignity to put up a cool face.

"Rookie 9 and Gai's team party tonight, starts at 6…Err…We'll er…come…and er…Was I interrupting something?" Naruto's Hokage training seems to have brushed off some of his usual thickness.

"No."

"We'll come pick you up at ten to six then, bye!" He waved as he ran away, only to crash into a mass of pink.

Sasuke watched as his former teammates and friends chatted in a distance occasionally throwing awkward glances at him. He noticed how the girl's eyes were red rimmed and her small frame was all too frail. Eventually the blond boy bid goodbye to the pink-haired girl as she continued to approach him. Karin was literally boiling behind him and he just suddenly remembered that she's behind him. He put on his best smile at his teammate, only to notice that she was slightly frowning. Before he could reach out to hold her and ask her what's wrong, a tall white figure dropped in front of him, and Sakura's jaw dropped.

"You're LATE!" Heavily emphasizing the last word.

"Well, a black cat crossed my path and…"

"Nevermind." Her eyebrow twitched a bit, as Kakashi backed a way a bit but not after ruffling her hair affectionately like the old days. _Such soft hair…_

"Yo." Kakashi turned to Sasuke just as he was about to bump into the slightly shocked boy behind him as he backed away from a slightly _comically_ angry Sakura.

"What is this now? Naruto told me about the party tonight." He did not mind the sudden visits, an extra excuse to keep Karin at bay…perfect! "But come in for tea nonetheless!"

Surprised by the sudden hospitality of their usual ice-cube like teammate, the two jonin followed him into his living room. Karin followed, ticking angrily like a wound up toy.

"We er, need to talk alone, just the three of us." Sakura motioned towards Karin.

"What is with such secret business? Can't his wife listen in as well?" Karin challenged Sakura like a harsh rival.

"Well, technically, you're not his wife. You see, we don't really support polygamy here, and since Sakura was the only one to be written down on paper as his wife…" Kakashi sensed the tension in the air and tried to loosen a few strings.

"Shut up, old man!"

"Hey! He's not old! His hair is silver and it's very soft!"

"Want to take this outside?" Someone was obviously in a bad mood after being implied that she was just a fling.

"Karin, just go. Leave us." Sasuke spoke before Sakura could and the two women huffed and turned away from each other for a brief second. Kakashi's eye crinkled after what just happened…_ "His hair is silver and it's very soft!"…_He can listen to that line all day long. He does not recall his hair being as soft as it is lately after using Pakkun's shampoo, which he found in his bathroom.

"Sasuke-kun, firstly how are you feeling? Any aches and pains or anything?" Sakura spoke, her voice was full of concern.

"No. I am just confused. Why is there a hole on my wall and what is with this whole 'wife' issue? Are we…m-m-married?" Strangely enough, he could not bring himself to say the word.

"I guess I'll do the explaining…" the other jonin joined the conversation when he noticed the girl beside him was about to have a breakdown. He tucked away his book and he explained everything down to the smallest detail, producing scrolls for additional background reading if Sasuke fancied, which he declined with a slight twitch in his eye.

"And that's when Sakura saved you from the dark by pumping every ounce of her chakra into you. She slept for three days after that." He finished and took a large sip from his cup of tea. He then looked up and added mischievously, "…Sakura, you still owe me that dinner."

Sakura's eyes twitched and glared at Kakashi for brining up such a joke at this time.

"I know it's very difficult to take in all this, but there's one more thing, Sasuke-kun. We aren't married. I filed a divorce already…and I really am very sorry about your –" Before she could say the world wall, she felt a pair of arms embracing her from behind.

"Thank you, Sakura." Those same words, from all those years ago. She felt her shoulder begin to feel a bit damp and turned to see tears streaming down his face, drowning in tears of guilt. "I should never have left this village, I was so foolish. Will you forgive a foolish teammate?"

"Of course!" She immediately answered offering him a tissue, "Well, we better not keep you, I'm sure you have lots to sort out, and don't forget we'll be here to pick you up at ten to!"

The two got up from their seats and left. As soon as the guests left, Karin charged back into the room and demanded something that Sasuke didn't even bother paying attention to. This Karin girl was even more annoying than the young Sakrua. He could not help but turn around and spat in her face about how annoying she is and that he does not love her. He did not feel guilty at all when she cried and ran out of his house mumbling something about somewhere.


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

At exactly ten to six, there was a small knock on his door. When he opened the door, surprisingly, his teammates and his former sensei were standing there…quarrelling.

"You told me to meet here at ten to four!"

"So? You're usually late anyway!"

"But I was early!"

"So? You should learn to be early!"

"But Sakura…"

By now the two have noticed Sasuke there and started moving towards the party venue while Naruto and Sasuke followed behind.

"They always argue. It's so obvious." Naruto noted.

"What's obvious?" Sasuke asked, obviously he was oblivious to what have been happening for the months.

The party was at a small bar where everyone in rookie nine and Gai's team gathered for a small celebration of Naruto finally finishing his Hokage training. Everyone was chatting about and Sasuke could not help but enjoy himself, having conversations with people he never considered talking to. He felt free for the first time in his entire life.

"As a peace offering for making you wait on us, I will buy you one soda drink." Sakura stated after getting tired of bickering nonstop with Kakashi for the past hour.

"And as a peace offering for making you not wait on me, I shall offer you a dance." His right eye curved up again. Sakura could not help but whisper a small yes as he led her to the dance floor just when a slow song started playing.

"So…to continue one of your unfinished sentences…" Kakashi breathed huskily.

"You have to be more specific than that." Sakura pondered on what unfinished sentence that will make Kakashi so desperate as to asking her to dance.

"Let me refresh your memory…'You're not old! You're young and energetic and…'" he quoted, "So, what's else was in that sentence?"

"Are you trying to flirt with me, sensei?"

"Why would you think that? I am merely intrigued by that sentence and curious." He put on an innocent face, but just not good enough.

"Well, I'll trade. I tell you and you take off your mask and show me your full face…no second masks this time."

Kakashi did not expect this, but he agreed nonetheless. He pulled her to the back of the bar in a dark secluded corner.

"Ladies first."

"Well…You're young and energetic and Kakashi. What else? Now your go."

"Oh come on, Sakura. You can do better than that." She just realised that he has been watching her with his sharingan; lying was definitely not an option.

"Kakashi-sensei…Will you hate me if I said those words? Will it come between us, destroying our friendship? Will it…"

"I promise you it won't…" He reached out for her hand and place it on his cheek, bending her fingers, he pulled down his mask with her hand, revealing a face that can attract crowds.

All Sakura could do was gasp as she saw her former sensei's mask peel off his face. Sheepishly, she studied his face. He has a strong jaw line, a straight nose, perfect lips, no traces of fish lips, buckteeth or pointy mouth; he was perfect. She swallowed the lump in her throat and began to speak.

"Sensei, you are not old, you are young, energetic, handsome, brave and…a man like no other." She blurted the words out like a tube of toothpaste squeezed too hard.

"Why thank you!" He smiled a genuine smile while his eye curved upwards. "But I'm not your sensei anymore…"

"Old habits die hard." She smiled back as he moved his mask back to its usual position, leading her back to the dance floor again.

When the party ended, Naruto thanked everyone for coming. He saw out of the corner of his eyes, a silver haired man and a pink haired woman take off to the direction of Kakashi's apartment. He also noticed how both of them seem to be carrying a small orange rectangular object with a small a 'R' at the back. He shuddered at the thought but dismissed it immediately as he walked off towards his home.

"Would you like to come in for tea?" He offered.

"Sure, why not?" She shrugged as she followed her former sensei into his apartment. She felt a bit nervous around the man who she just blurted out compliments that would come under the basis of flirting.

They sipped their tea in silence as Kakashi place himself closer to the kunoichi. He noticed how she neither flinches nor back away as he wrapped his arm around her small waist, instead she leaned against him. Had this been a few weeks ago, she would be nervous and would look around every second to check for the presence of her fearsome 'husband'. _Hm, husband no more…_Kakashi thought. He then caught the few small tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Why do I always have such back luck in love?" She whispered in his ear.

"I will show you good luck." He whispered back as he reached to remove his mask for the second time that night.

Sakura studied his perfect face again. She placed her hand on his cheek, feeling for reality, trying to snap out of this apparent dream. But it was not a dream, in fact, Kakashi had started to lean towards her, is forehead rested on hers, his dead straight nose just touching hers. The corners of his lips curved up to form a smile, while Sakura's lips curved into a solemn smile.

"You smell like Pakkun." He teased.

"And you smell like…Kakashi." She honestly could not think of anything else to describe Kakashi's scent.

Just then she felt a soft pair of lips press on her own. She didn't hold back all those emotions she once locked inside herself, and unleashed them all onto this man that showed how what good luck is; she kissed him back. After a while of a show of pure passion, the two pulled away for a quick breath of air and resumed.

One thing led to another that night and in the morning the older jonin did not find himself to be alone on his big empty bed as he did every morning. Instead, he found himself wrapped around a woman who showed him the light to his dark tunnel of his emotionless self. She groaned softly when the sun's rays danced softly on her face and snuggled deeper into Kakashi's bare chest. He chuckled to himself as he closed the curtains, sealing off anymore troublesome rays. It has taken him a long time, but he has finally found the perfect excuse why he is always late to team 7 meetings.


End file.
